HoloNet Uplink – Old School Chart Cool – Random Social Encounters

Welcome to the HoloNet Uplink, citizen. This series focuses on Fantasy Flight Games’ Star Wars Roleplaying Game, with content aimed mostly at the Gamemaster. Threats, adventure seeds, rules supplements, and more are all to come for those who access The HoloNet Uplink.

Taking another breather from my Solo content, as last expanded by my take on Mimban stormtroopers and the forces of the 224th Imperial Armored Division, today I am returning to a favorite subseries of mine: Old School Chart Cool. This subseries provides a series of charts to randomly generate content seeds. The idea is to provide prompts for a GM to develop further, taking those prompts that work for them and leaving the rest behind. Bolstering, rather than constraining, creativity is the intent behind imposing a bit of voluntary structure.

Star Wars is (in)famous for the level of background development given to fleetingly seen extras and side characters. I’ve touched on this ground tangentially before with my Old School Chart Cool entry on cantina patrons. Today I want to zoom out and present a generator for social encounters more generally.

Random Social Encounters

Roll 1d10 to determine who the PCs encounter.

Roll 1d10 to determine where the encounter takes place.

Roll 1d10 to determine why the encounter takes place.

Sample Encounters

Discount Drafting

Roll: 2 – Corporate Rep, 2 – Storefront, 8 – Recruitment.

As the PCs visit a local storefront to purchase supplies and equipment, they are greeted by a corporate representative who happily provides them a complimentary gift to go with their purchase. This could be a weapon or armor attachment, a supplementary gadget, or the outright purchase of the consumable supplies the PCs are after. This gift is no strings attached, but she does ask they hear a business proposal: recruitment as freelance testers of the corporation’s latest prototype product. Offering the use of a piece of high quality equipment, weaponry, or armor (as befits the corporation); all the rep asks for in return is a complete report on its functionality. This is a good faith offer, but should the PCs accept they will find the device has a habit of failing at the most inconvenient times.

Caf Shop Conversion

Roll: 8 – Caf Shop, 10 – Missionary, 6 – Pitch Services.

Whether gathering information or simply relaxing, some of the PCs visit a local caf shop. As they receive their drinks of choice, the PCs are approached by a tall figure covered entirely in occluding red robes and a old, but well maintained protocol droid. The red robed figure bows rigidly while the protocol droid explains they are adherents of the Beatific Countenance. Explaining that its master sensed the conflict within the PCs hearts, the droid offers to explain how, by shedding the burdens on individuality, such as appearance and speech, they can earn total inner peace.

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Christopher Hunt

Staff Writer at d20 Radio

Christopher Hunt is a long-time gamer and has recently broke into the world of RPG freelancing. Chris’ unofficial Star Wars RPG blog ran weekly on d20radio.com for the past three years. He has written for Rusted Iron Games, Raging Swan Press, and most recently Fantasy Flight Games’ Star Wars RPG. Chris is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Political Science. Always the gamer, his thesis, which explores conflict short of war by uniting current threats to historical events, was inspired by a historical board game.

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